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TES: The largest network of teachers in the world
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Best Candle Type!!
Colonial Candles ^
^ Beeswax Candles
White Candles ^
Broad Question
Which candle burns the longest?
Which candle out of beeswax, colonial, or white, stays lit the longest in an open area, and in a candle chimney.Hypothesis
I hypothesis that the beeswax candle will last the longest in an open area and in a candle chimney, then a colonial candle will follow and then then the white candle last.Graph of Hypothesis
Variables
Independent Variable:
The candles, white, beeswax and colonial.
Dependent Variable:
Burn time
Variables That Need To Be Controlled:
Where the experiment takes place.
How long the candles are.
General Plan
Experimental Design
I will conduct my experiment on my dinning room table. I will be the only person involved with my experiment, my mom will help me get my materials and supervise me during the experiment. I will be doing the actual experiment and all the things leading up to it. I will be doing two trials, burning the candles in an open area and in a smaller area with restricted air, a candle chimney. I plan to record all my data on a spread sheet, which I will make before I start the experiment. I will document the experiment by taking pictures as the candles burn.
Materials List
Detailed Procedure
1.Get all materials together.
2.Set out three candle holders.
3.Place one beeswax, colonial, and cheep white candle in there holders.
4.Take a picture of the candles as they are.
5. Measure the candle and find its half way point. It should be 4 or close to four inches.
6.Light the candle, make sure too start the timer at the same time, take a picture.
7.Take a picture of the candle every now and then till the candle reaches your half way point.
8.Repeat steps 2. through 7. reusing the candles.( you may not choose to reuse the candle, to save money i would suggest reusing them.) Once with a candle chimney on it and then once with out the candle chimney.
Note
Make sure candles are the same height
Background Research
A candle has two parts the wick and the wax. The wick needs to be naturally absorbent, like a towel, or it needs to have a strong capillary action (as in glass fiber wicks used in oil lamps). If you buy a length of un-waxed wick at a craft store and play with it, you will find that it feels like soft string and absorbs water very well. This absorbency is important in a candle because the wick needs to absorb liquid wax and move it upward while thecandle is burning. Paraffin wax will burn on its own, but it is like cooking oil, motor oil and coal in that you have to get it very hot for combustion to begin. An oil fire is intense and very hard to put out. Paraffin is the same way. In a candle, this works great, only the tiny amount of wax on the wick is hot enough to vaporize and burn.
A candle is made from a kind of solid wax called paraffin. Paraffin has a low melting point. Some cheap candles can even melt on a hot day, but mostly a candle wax that stays solid at a normal room temperature. The tip of the wick burns because it is in the hotter part of the flame. The bottom of the wick is cooler part of the flame, so it doesn’t burn. At the tip of the flame the temperature is so hot that part of the rising gas is transformed into a fourth state of matter called plasma. As a part of that reaction, light and heat are released. A liquid is a state of matter in which the matter takes the shape of any surrounding container. If there is no container, the liquid will flow; in this case heat from the flame transforms the paraffin into liquid state we call this melting. The liquid paraffin pools at the top of the candle. It also runs down the side. There where the heat is less, the running liquid cools and the paraffin turns back into a solid. Back at the top of the candle, some of the liquid climbs upward along the fabric of the wick.
Basic paraffin wax is a by product of petroleum or crude oil distillation. Other ingredients may include synthetic resins and oil such as palm oil. Basic or non-food grade paraffin may be used in candle making, as an adhesive or for various industrial applications. In order for a beeswax candle to burn, the wick needs to draw melted wax through it. When lighting your candle, apply the flame at the base of the wick so the wax melts and is absorbed into the wick. This is particularly important on pillar beeswax candles with larger diameter wicks.
If you have made several failed attempts to light your candle, you may have burned up the wick until there is only char left. Trim this off and carve a bit of solid wax from the base of the wick. Now apply the flame to the base of the wick. If this still does not work, go out and buy a better burning candle.
High pigment content can hinder the absorptive function of the wick. This can arise particularly with dark colors. However, we have found candle dyes that allow for the darkest blue or even black candles to burn great.
Candle Chimneys concept is to shield the flame from drafts, and allegedly result in "a cleaner, smooth burning candle".
References
"HowStuffWorks "How does a candle work?"." HowStuffWorks "Home and Garden". N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2012. <http://home.howstuffworks.com/question267.htm>.Bell , Jackie, et al. Matter. North American. Bethesda, US: Gareth Stevens, 2003. Print.
Cone, Beth. "Ingredients in Paraffin Wax | eHow.com." eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | eHow.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/list_5776419_ingredients-paraffin-wax.html>.
"Candle Burning Info, Tips & Safety Frequently Asked Questions - Candle Info - Aloha Bay." Wholesale Candles, Palm Wax Candles, Eco Palm Wax Candles. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2012. <http://www.alohabay.com/people/candle-burning-info-safety-tips-frequently-asked-questions.html#51>.
Conclusion
The original purpose of this experiment was to find out which candle, beeswax, colonial, or white burned the longest in a candle chimney. The results of this experiment were that the colonial candle burned the longest in both areas with an average time of five hours and eighteen minutes in an open area, and five hours and twenty four minutes in a candle chimney. The beeswax came in third for open area and second for closed. Beeswax's average time in open area was two hours and twenty five minutes, and in a closed area the time was three hours and thirty minutes. The white candle came in second for the open area trials and third for the closed area trial. The white candles average time in the open area was 2 hours and 28 minutes. For the closed area trial it took an average time of 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Data Table
In an open areaPhotos
Discusion
My hypothesis was that the beeswax candle would burn the longest in both areas, then the colonial candle, and following that the white candle. My results do not support my hypothesis. There is a relationship between my independent and dependent variables because I was able to measure the length of burn time for each candle. Some patterns and trends that my data shows are that the colonial candle burned the longest every time I burned one of the colonial candles. I think the test I did went smoothly. Every thing went smoothly in my experiment because I was patient when the candles burned. That way every thing I did was a accurate as I could possibly make it. If I could improve my experiment I would get more candles and do a third trial. I would also get more candle chimney's, to help the experiment process speed up.An interesting future study might involve adding more types of candles at different heights, with different wicks.